It’s Joshua Williamson’s last issue of Batman Superman! I think he set the bar really high for the new creative team when they take over with #16 in March!

BATMAN SUPERMAN #15

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Andre Bressan
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: John J. Hill
Editor: Paul Kaminski
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover price: $3.99
Release Date: December 23, 2020

SOLICITATION: “Solomon Grundy died on a Sunday!” But when this monster man kicks the bucket, all hell breaks loose! When the body of Grundy begins to break down, so begins a toxic time bomb that could wipe out half of North America! It’s up to the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight to get Grundy from S.T.A.R. Labs to Slaughter Swamp before the clock hits zero… but with a horde of super-villains all looking to snag the sizzling super-titan for their own nefarious ends, our heroes had better move quickly!

END OF THE ‘NEVER-ENDING BATTLE’?

Mr. Williamson has always had this wonderful ability to take well-known characters and move them in unexpected yet sensible directions. He does that in this issue with Solomon Grundy, originally an Earth-2 bad guy who was pretty simple when you get right down to it. He died in a swamp and was reincarnated as a big, white-skinned brute who keeps repeating the poem he’s named after.

This issue adds something to the legend. Instead of him coming back just once, he reincarnates back multiple times. And he’s more dangerous than ever because he could now explode, hurting and damaging all of those around him. Of course, he might come back as a good guy—or an even badder villain!

When the Secret Society finds out about all this, they don’t dirty their own hands going after him. Instead, they send a bunch of baddies to capture him, not realizing that Batman and Superman are escorting Grundy to the only place he could recover—Slaughter Swamp, the place of his origin.

As if that weren’t enough, Williamson weaves in the relationship/war between the two heroes. Things start out with a blizzard keeping young Bruce Wayne in the manor instead of having fun in the snow, as Superman did with his friends in Smallville. Superman tells him about how he had snowball fights with them. Bruce can only reply, “I never had a snowball fight. Alfred hated getting his tux wet.”

As always, the contrast is striking between those two. And it’s something Williamson is going to resolve in this book.

The two heroes have to defend Grundy as they journey to Slaughter Swamp. They get help from a couple of surprising sources all while Superman tries to help him finish his journey while being exposed to the radiation Grundy is giving off.

There are really two conclusions to this issue. The first is how (or even if) Grundy gets where he’s going. The second is between Batman and Superman.

After Grundy’s situation is resolved, Bruce has to admit to Clark that he’s tired of the “never-ending battle” between the two of them. “Sometimes it takes more out of me than I’d like to admit,” he says.

Clark’s response is touching and simple. And it’s a perfect way to wrap up Williamson’s time on the series. Then, too, Clark has another great response when Batman says he called Clark because he knew he would answer his call. I won’t spoil them here, but I was genuinely moved by how the “never-ending battle” turned out to be a friendship after all.

Well done!

SUPERHEROIC ART

I’ve never noticed this art team before, but they did an excellent job on this book. When Superman and Batman (in his plane) are flying through the blizzard, man, did I feel the cold and snow hitting me! Then, too, I felt his portrayal of Superman was better than his Batman (Bruce’s bat-ears were curled in, which I didn’t care for). That still worked out well because Clark’s facial expressions were important, particularly in the latter pages of the issue.

The action sequences were also gripping. Batman’s interaction with Grundy while Superman fights the baddie group after the three of them was very well done. There’s also one time when Grundy punches someone, and that hurt just looking at it! I want more from these guys!

BOTTOM LINE: A Fond Farewell

I do admit that I’m looking forward to seeing some new teams on several titles after the “Future State” event during the next two months. Mr. Williamson will be moving on to other good challenges in March, and I will be buying everything that has his name on it, as always!

This book, though, was an ideal end to these first 15 issues. We enjoyed a fascinating superheroic story and a very special conclusion of sorts to how Batman and Superman deal with each other. This one is a keeper for me!

You really don’t need to have read the previous 14 issues to get the impact this book will have on you. This issue is a great example of why I buy comics!

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.